Semiconductor wafer device

ABSTRACT

A semiconductor device includes a carrier, several dies disposed on a surface of the carrier and several scribing lines defined on the surface of the carrier. The scribing lines include several continuous lines along a first direction and several discontinuous lines along a second direction. Further, a method of dies singulation includes providing a carrier, disposing several dies on a surface of the carrier according to several scribing lines including several continuous lines along a first direction and several discontinuous lines along a second direction, cutting the carrier according to the continuous lines along the first direction, and cutting the carrier according to the discontinuous lines along the second direction.

FIELD

The disclosure relates to a semiconductor device and a method ofmanufacturing a semiconductor device.

BACKGROUND

Electronic equipments involving numbers of semiconductor devices areindispensable from our daily life. The semiconductor device includesnumbers of dies or chips which are configured for executing andperforming different functions. With the advancement of electronictechnology, each electronic equipment has to execute and perform moreand more complicated and multiple functions, and thus the electronicequipment involves more and more numbers of dies or chips within theelectronic equipment.

The die is manufactured from a carrier such as semiconductor wafer. Thecarrier is configured for supporting numbers of dies on the surface ofthe carrier. The carrier is divided by numbers of scribing lines on asurface of the carrier. The scribing lines are continuous straight linesacross the carrier. The dies are arranged on the carrier in numbers ofhorizontal rows and vertical columns as a matrix according to thenumbers of scribing lines. The carrier is sawed by a sawing tool such asmechanical blade or laser blade, and thus the dies are singulated fromthe carrier by cutting the carrier according the numbers of scribinglines.

As there are some constraints on the dies singulation operations, thedies are required to be disposed in the numbers of rows and columns andthus in a matrix or chessboard layout. However, such layout of thecarrier has not fully utilized the surface of the carrier formanufacturing the dies, particularly the carrier is a wafer which is incircular shape. Some areas near an edge of the carrier cannot beutilized efficiently, and thus numbers of incomplete dies are formednear the edge of the carrier and formation of incomplete dies would leadto material wastage issue. As such, there is a continuous demand onimproving the configuration of the carrier for manufacturing operationsto optimize quantity of dies manufactured from the carrier and solve theabove deficiencies.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Aspects of the present disclosure are best understood from the followingdetailed description when read with the accompanying figures. It isemphasized that, in accordance with the standard practice in theindustry, various features are not drawn to scale. In fact, thedimensions of the various features may be arbitrarily increased orreduced for clarity of discussion.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a semiconductor device in accordance withsome embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1A is a schematic view of a semiconductor device including severaldies arranged in several horizontal rows in accordance with someembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1B is a schematic view of a semiconductor device including severaldies arranged in several vertical columns in accordance with someembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a semiconductor device including severaldies arranged in a staggered configuration in accordance with someembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a table of relationship between size of the die, number ofdies disposed on a carrier and an increment of the number of dies inaccordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of a method of manufacturing a semiconductordevice in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4A is a schematic view of a semiconductor device for formingseveral dies in accordance with some embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 4B is a schematic view of a semiconductor device including severaldies in a staggered or non-matrix layout in accordance with someembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of a method of manufacturing a semiconductordevice in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5A is a schematic view of a semiconductor device in a regularmatrix or a chessboard layout in accordance with some embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 5B is a schematic view of a semiconductor device in a staggered ornon-matrix layout in accordance with some embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of a method of manufacturing a semiconductordevice in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6A is a schematic view of a semiconductor device disposed withseveral dies one by one and row by row in accordance with someembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6B is a schematic view of a semiconductor device disposed withseveral dies in a staggered configuration in accordance with someembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6C is a schematic view of a semiconductor device disposed withseveral dies at a center of a carrier in accordance with someembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of a method of manufacturing a semiconductordevice in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7A is a schematic view of a semiconductor device disposed withseveral dies in a staggered configuration in accordance with someembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7B is a schematic view of a semiconductor device cut by a cuttingmember along a X axis in accordance with some embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 7C is a schematic view of a semiconductor device rotated at a rightangle relative to a X axis in accordance with some embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 7D is a schematic view of a semiconductor device cut by a cuttingmember along a Y axis in accordance with some embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of a semiconductor device cut by a cuttingmember including a shutter in accordance with some embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The carrier such as a semiconductor wafer is configured for carrying andsupporting several dies. The carrier is divided by several scribinglines, and the dies are disposed on the carrier between the scribinglines. The dies have similar profile and dimension with each other. Eachdie is formed in a rectangle or a square on the carrier. The scribinglines are defined on a top surface of the carrier for facilitating diesawing operations. Each of the scribing lines is extended across the topsurface of the carrier along either a horizontal direction or a verticaldirection to form a regular matrix layout. The dies are aligned witheach other in both horizontal and vertical directions to form rows andcolumns on the top surface of the carrier in accordance with thescribing lines. The dies are then singulated from the carrier by sawingalong the scribing lines with a mechanical blade or etc.

However, the above arrangement of the dies and the scribing lines on thecarrier have some issues such as formation of incomplete dies near anedge of the carrier, low space utilization, material wastage, etc. Asthe scribing lines and the dies are arranged in the regular matrixlayout and the dies are in a rectangular or square shape while thecarrier is in circular shape, the top surface area of the carrier couldnot be fully utilized for disposing the rectangular dies and thus aquantity of dies produced from each carrier is not in maximum.Therefore, some materials of the carrier are wasted and could not beused for producing complete dies and thus cause material wastage andhigher material cost on each die.

The manufacturing and use of the embodiments of the present inventionare discussed in details below. It should be appreciated, however, thatthe embodiments provide many applicable inventive concepts that can beembodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. It is to be understoodthat the following disclosure provides many different embodiments orexamples for implementing different features of various embodiments.Specific examples of components and arrangements are described below tosimplify the present disclosure. These are, of course, merely examplesand are not intended to be limiting.

Embodiments, or examples, illustrated in the drawings are disclosedbelow using specific language. It will nevertheless be understood thatthe embodiments and examples are not intended to be limiting. Anyalterations and modifications in the disclosed embodiments, and anyfurther applications of the principles disclosed in this document arecontemplated as would normally occur to one of ordinary skill in thepertinent art.

Further, it is understood that several processing steps and/or featuresof a device may be only briefly described. Also, additional processingsteps and/or features can be added, and certain of the followingprocessing steps and/or features can be removed or changed while stillimplementing the claims. Thus, the following description should beunderstood to represent examples only, and are not intended to suggestthat one or more steps or features is required.

In addition, the present disclosure may repeat reference numerals and/orletters in the various examples. This repetition is for the purpose ofsimplicity and clarity and does not in itself dictate a relationshipbetween the various embodiments and/or configurations discussed.

In the present disclosure, a semiconductor device with an improvedconfiguration is disclosed. The semiconductor device includes a carrierand several dies disposed on the carrier in a staggered configuration inorder to optimize the use of a surface area of the carrier and maximizea number of complete dies produced by the carrier.

FIG. 1 is an embodiment of a semiconductor device 100. The semiconductordevice includes a carrier 101, several dies 102 disposed on a surface101 a of the carrier 101 and several scribing lines 103 defined on thesurface 101 a of the carrier 101. In some embodiments, the carrier 101is a silicon wafer which would be fabricated to become integratedcircuits (IC) in subsequent manufacturing operations. In someembodiments, the carrier 101 is a glass wafer which is bonded by silicondies in wafer level package process. In some embodiments, the carrier101 is a circuit board including some circuits for electrical connectionof components thereon. In some embodiments, the circuit board is aprinted circuit board (PCB). In some embodiments, the carrier 101 is ina circular shape as in FIG. 1.

In some embodiments as in FIG. 1, each of the dies 102 is a small pieceincluding semiconductor materials such as silicon and is fabricated witha predetermined functional circuit within the die 102 produced byphotolithography operations. In some embodiments, the dies 102 areattached on the surface 101 a of the carrier 101 by an adhesive or atape etc. In some embodiments, each of the dies 102 is in aquadrilateral, a rectangular or a square shape.

In some embodiments, each of the dies 102 is disposed on the surface 101a and surrounded by several scribing lines 103 as in FIG. 1. In someembodiments, each die 102 is surrounded by four portions (103 a, 103 b,103 c, 103 d) of the scribing lines 103. In some embodiments, twoportions (103 a, 103 c) of the four portions (103 a, 103 b, 103 c, 103d) of the scribing lines 103 are in same dimension, and another twoportions (103 b, 103 d) of the four portions (103 a, 103 b, 103 c, 103d) of the scribing lines 103 are also in same dimension, so that eachdie 102 on the carrier 101 is configured in the quadrilateral or therectangular shape as in FIG. 1. In some embodiments, a width of each ofthe scribing lines 103 is about 20 um to about 60 um. In someembodiments, the width of each of the scribing lines 103 is about 10 umto about 80 um.

In some embodiments, the scribing lines 103 includes several continuouslines 103-1 along a first direction and several discontinuous lines103-2 along a second direction. In some embodiments, the first directionis X axis and the second direction is Y axis. The scribing lines 103includes several continuous lines 103-1 along X axis and severaldiscontinuous lines 103-2 along Y axis as in FIG. 1A. The continuousline 103-1 is a straight line which is continuously extended across thecarrier 101 from one end of the carrier 101 to another opposite end ofthe carrier 101 along the X axis. In some embodiments, the continuousline 103-1 is a line which is continuously and horizontally extendedbetween a left side 101 b of the carrier 101 and a right side 101 c ofthe carrier.

In some embodiments, several continuous lines 103-1 are extendedhorizontally across the carrier 101 along the X axis as in FIG. 1A. Thecontinuous lines 103-1 are parallel with each other horizontally. Insome embodiments, the continuous lines 103-1 are spaced with each otherin a same distance. In some embodiments, the distance between thecontinuous lines 103-1 is substantially the same as a first lengthw_(die) of each of the dies 102. In some embodiments, the first lengthw_(die) of the die 102 is a width of the die 102.

In some embodiments as in FIG. 1A, the discontinuous line 103-2 is abroken straight line extending from one end of the carrier 101 toanother opposite end of the carrier 101 along the Y axis. Each of thediscontinuous lines 103-2 includes several of straight line segmentsalong the Y axis on the carrier 101. In some embodiments, adiscontinuous line 103-2 includes four line segments (103-2 a, 103-2 b,103-2 c, 103-2 d). In some embodiments, a discontinuous line 103-2includes three line segments (103-2 e, 103-2 f, 103-2 g). Each linesegment is at least substantially equal to or greater than the firstlength w_(die) of each of the dies 102. In some embodiments, the linesegments 103-2 f is two times of the first length w_(die) of the die102. In some embodiments, the line segments (103-2 a, 103-2 d)respectively are three times of the first length w_(die) of the die 102.

In some embodiments, the discontinuous line 103-2 is a straight brokenline which is extended between a top side 101 d of the carrier 101 and abottom side 101 e of the carrier. In some embodiments, the discontinuouslines 103-2 are extended vertically along the Y axis. In someembodiments, the discontinuous lines 103-2 are spaced with each other ina same distance. In some embodiments, the distance between thediscontinuous lines 103-2 is substantially the same as a second lengthl_(die) of each of the dies 102.

In some embodiments as in FIG. 1A, at least two of the continuous lines103-1 and at least two discontinuous lines 103-2 are in cooperation todivide the carrier 101 in a staggered or non-matrix layout. Thus, atleast two of the continuous lines 103-1 and at least two discontinuouslines 103-2 are in cooperation to arrange the dies 102 on the surface101 a of the carrier 101 between the scribing lines 103 in the staggeredlayout. The dies 102 are aligned with each other in the X axis only, thedies 102 are not aligned with each other in the Y axis. In someembodiments, the dies 102 are arranged in several rows parallel to thefirst direction. In some embodiments, the dies 102 are aligned inseveral horizontal rows along the X axis as in FIG. 1A.

In some embodiments, a die 102 is surrounded by two portions (103 b, 103d) of the continuous lines 103-1 and two portions (103 a, 103 c) of thediscontinuous lines 103-2. In some embodiments, two respective portions(103 b, 103 d) of at least two of the continuous lines 103-1 and tworespective portions (103 a, 103 c) of at least two of the discontinuouslines 103-2 are in cooperation to define a dimension of each die 102.The dimension of each die 102 includes a length l_(die) and a widthw_(die). The two portions (103 b, 103 d) of the continuous lines 103-1are respectively substantially equal to the length l_(die) of the die102, and the two portions (103 a, 103 c) of the discontinuous lines103-2 are respectively substantially equal to the width w_(die) of thedie 102.

In some embodiments as in FIG. 1A, the X axis is orthogonal to the Yaxis. The continuous lines 103-1 are orthogonal to the discontinuouslines 103-2. In some embodiments, the X axis is a horizontal directionwhile the Y axis is a vertical direction orthogonal to the X axis.

In some embodiments, the dies are arranged in several columns parallelto the second direction. As in FIG. 1B, several dies 102 are alignedwith each other along the Y axis. The dies 102 are aligned with eachother in several vertical columns. The dies 102 are aligned with eachother in the Y axis only, while the dies 102 are not aligned with eachother in the X axis.

As in FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B, several scribing lines 103 including thecontinuous lines 103-1 and discontinuous lines 103-2 and the dies 102arranged on the circular carrier 101 in staggered configuration wouldoptimize the use of the surface area of the carrier 101 and maximizequantity of dies 102 produced by each carrier 101.

FIG. 2 is an embodiment of a semiconductor device 100. The semiconductordevice 100 includes a carrier 101, several dies 102 disposed on thecarrier 101. The dies 102 are surrounded by an edge 101 f of the carrier101. The dies 102 include several edge dies 102-1 adjacent to aperiphery 101 g of the carrier 101. Each one of the edge dies 102-1includes a longest length L and a corner 102-1 a nearest to the edge 101f of the carrier 101. There is a shortest distance D between the edge101 f of the carrier 101 and the corner 102-1 a of one of the edge dies102-1. The shortest distance D is parallel to the longest length L andis substantially equal to or smaller than a half of the longest length Lof each one of the edge dies 102-1.

In some embodiments, the carrier 101 is a silicon wafer in a circularshape. In some embodiments, several dies 102 disposed on the surface 101a of the carrier 101 are in a staggered configuration as in FIG. 2. Thedies 102 are aligned in several horizontal rows along the X axis. Eachdie 102 is in rectangular shape and has a dimension of a length l_(die)and a width w_(die). In some embodiments, the dies 102 are symmetricallyarranged on the carrier 101 about a central vertical axis 101 h of thecarrier 101 and/or a central horizontal axis 101 j of the carrier 101.

In some embodiments, there are several edge dies 102-1 disposed adjacentto the periphery 101 g of the carrier 101. In some embodiments, the edgedies 102-1 are in cooperation to configure in an enclosure so that theedge dies 102-1 surround the rest of the dies 102. Each of the edge dies102-1 is disposed at either one end of each horizontal row of the dies102. For example, the edge die 102-1 b is opposite to anothercorresponding edge die 102-1 c in a same horizontal row.

In some embodiments as in FIG. 2, each edge die 102-1 has four sides.The edge die 102-1 has the longest length L which is the longest amongthe four sides of the edge die 102-1. In some embodiments, each edge die102-1 has four points for respectively coupling with two of the foursides. The edge die 102-1 has the corner 102-1 a which is nearest to theedge 101 f of the carrier 101 among the four points.

In some embodiments, there is a shortest distance D between the edge 101f and the corner 102-1 a. The shortest distance D is parallel to thelongest length L of the edge die 102-1. In some embodiments, theshortest distance D is substantially equal to or smaller than a half ofthe longest length L, so that the dies 102 are in an optimized staggeredlayout and thus the surface area of the carrier is fully utilized inorder to minimize a quantity of incomplete dies adjacent to theperiphery 101 g of the carrier 101 and wastage of materials and optimizethe use of the carrier 101. For example, if each of the dies 102 has alength l_(die) of 26 mm and a width w_(die) of 24 mm, the longest lengthL is the length of 26 mm, and thus the shortest distance D between theedge 101 f and the corner 102-1 a of the edge die 102-1 is equal to orless than about 13 mm which is a half of the length of 26 mm.

FIG. 3 is a table tabulated the maximum number of dies supported by acarrier with a diameter of twelve inches based upon the above optimizedconfiguration as in FIGS. 1, 1A and 1B. For example, if the die is asquare with a length of 22 mm, six more dies can be disposed on thesurface of the carrier when the dies are disposed in the optimizedlayout such as a staggered configuration.

When the size of the die 102 is greater than a threshold value, thenumber of dies 102 produced by the carrier 101 in the staggeredconfiguration is apparently increased. In some embodiments, when thesize of the die 102 is greater than 10 mm×10 mm, an increment of numberof dies 102 produced by the carrier 101 is more obvious which is morethan 2%. In some embodiments, when a length l_(die) of the die 102 isgreater than a first threshold value and a width w_(die) of the die isgreater than a second threshold value, the number of dies 102 producedby the carrier 101 in the staggered configuration is apparentlyincreased. In some embodiments, when the length l_(die) of the die 102is greater than 15 mm and the width w_(die) of the die 102 is greaterthan 10 mm, the increment of number of dies 102 produced by the carrier101 is more obvious which is more than 2%.

In the present disclosure, a method of manufacturing a semiconductordevice is also disclosed. In some embodiments, a semiconductor device isformed by a method 200, a method 300 or a method 400. The descriptionand illustration are not deemed as a limitation as the sequence of theoperations.

FIG. 4 is an embodiment of a method 200 of manufacturing a semiconductordevice. The method 200 includes several operations (201, 202, 203).

In operation 201, a carrier 101 is provided as in FIG. 4A. The carrier101 is configured for forming several dies on a surface 101 a of thecarrier.

In operation 202, a staggered layout of the dies 102 as in FIG. 4B isdesigned for forming several dies 102 on the surface 101 of the carrier101. In some embodiments, the staggered layout of the dies 102 isprogrammed such that several dies 102 are controlled to be formed in thestaggered layout accordingly on the surface 101 a of the carrier 101within a predetermined duration of time.

In operation 203, the dies 102 are formed on the surface 101 a of thecarrier 101 in the staggered layout as in FIG. 4B. The dies 102 are thendisposed on the carrier 101 and configured in the staggered layout, sothat the carrier 101 carries more number of dies 102 and thus the use ofthe surface area of the carrier 101 is optimized.

FIG. 5 is an embodiment of a method 300 of manufacturing a semiconductordevice. The method 300 includes several operations (301, 302, 303, 304,305).

In operation 301, a carrier is provided. In some embodiments, thecarrier 101 is a silicon wafer in a circular shape as in FIG. 5A. Inoperation 302, several dies are disposed on a surface of the carrier andare aligned in X axis and Y axis. In some embodiments as in FIG. 5A,several dies 102 are disposed on the surface 101 a of the carrier 101.The dies 102 are aligned with each other in the X axis and the Y axis.In some embodiments, the dies 102 are disposed in several rowshorizontally along the X axis and several columns vertically along the Yaxis, so that the dies 102 are configured in a regular matrix orchessboard layout as in FIG. 5A.

As some surface areas adjacent to a periphery 101 g of the carrier 101have not been utilized for disposing the dies 102 based on thechessboard layout, some horizontal rows of the dies 102 have to beshifted along the X axis, so that more dies 102 can be held by thecarrier 101 and the use of the surface area of the carrier 101 would beoptimized.

In operation 303, some horizontal rows of the dies 102 would bedetermined as requiring shifting along the X axis. In some embodiments,one or more rows of the dies 102 would be determined as requiringshifting if a shortest distance D parallel to the longest length l_(die)of the die 102 between the die 102 disposed at an end of the row of thedies 102 and an edge 101 f of the carrier 101 is substantially largerthan a half of the longest length l_(die). As in FIG. 5A, the shortestdistance D of a second, third, fifth, eighth, tenth, eleventh andtwelfth rows of the dies 102 are larger than a half of the longestlength l_(die) of the die 102, and thus these seven rows of the dies 102are required to be shifted along the X axis.

In operation 304, the rows of the dies 102 being determined in theoperation 303 are shifted along the X axis as in FIG. 5B. In someembodiments, the rows of the dies 102 being determined are shiftedtowards a right side 101 c of the carrier 101, so that the dies 102disposed adjacent to the right side 101 c of the periphery 101 g aregetting closer to the edge 101 f of the carrier 101 in order to emptysome surface areas of the carrier 101 adjacent to a left side 101 b ofthe periphery 101 g for adding more number of dies 102.

In operation 305, several additional bonus dies 102-2 are disposed onthe surface 101 a of the carrier 101. In some embodiments, the bonusdies 102-2 are disposed at one end of each shifted row adjacent to theperiphery 101 g of the carrier 101. In some embodiments as in FIG. 5B,seven horizontal rows of the dies 102 are shifted towards the right side101 c. The dies 102 on the carrier 101 are then configured to be in astaggered or non-matrix layout. Seven bonus dies 102-2 are additionallydisposed on the carrier 101 as in FIG. 5B compared with the dies 102configured in the chessboard layout on the carrier 101 as in FIG. 5A.

In some embodiments, the die 102 at one end of each row has a shortestdistance D parallel to the longest length l_(die) of the die 102 betweenthe edge 101 f of the carrier 101 and a corner 102-1 a of the die 102nearest to the edge 101 f. The shortest distance D is substantiallyequal to or less than a half of a longest length l_(die) of the die 102.

FIG. 6 is an embodiment of a method 400 of manufacturing a semiconductordevice. The method 400 includes several operations (401, 402, 403).

In operation 401, a carrier is provided. In operation 402, several dies102 are disposed on a surface 101 a of the carrier 101 as in FIG. 6A. Insome embodiments, the dies 102 are disposed by row along X axis. Severaledge dies 102-1 of the dies 102 are first disposed on the carrier 101adjacent to a bottom side 101 e and a left side 101 b of the carrier101. Each of the edge dies 102-1 has a corner 102-1 a contacting an edge101 f of the carrier 101. Other dies 102 are then disposed following theformer one of the dies 102 to form a first row along the X axis.

When the surface area adjacent to the bottom side 101 e and a right side101 c of the carrier 101 is insufficient for disposing the die 102, thedie 102 is then disposed adjacent to the bottom side 101 e and the leftside 101 b of the carrier 101 to start a new second row along the Xaxis. The rest of the dies 102 are disposed accordingly from the leftside 101 b to the right side 101 c and from the bottom side 101 e to thetop side 101 d of the carrier 101 as in FIG. 6A, until the dies 102 arethen filled up most of the surface area of the carrier 101 in astaggered configuration as in FIG. 6B.

In operation 403, each row of the dies 102 is shifted along the X axisin order to center the dies 102 as a whole within the carrier 101 as inFIG. 6C. Each row of the dies 102 is shifted horizontally along the Xaxis to dispose the dies 102 as a whole at a center of the carrier 101.In some embodiments, each row of the dies 102 is shifted such that ashortest distance D1 between the edge 101 f of the carrier 101 and thecorner 102-1 a of a edge die 102-1 b disposed at an end of the row issubstantially equal to a shortest distance D2 between the edge 101 f andthe corner 102-1 a of another edge die 102-1 c disposed at an oppositeend of the same row.

In some embodiments, the shortest distances (D1, D2) of each row of thedies 102 are consistent, so that the row is symmetrical about a centralvertical axis 101 h of the carrier 101 and/or a central horizontal axis101 j of the carrier 101. In some embodiments as in FIG. 6C, all dies102 as a whole are symmetrical about a central vertical axis 101 h ofthe carrier 101 and/or a central horizontal axis 101 j of the carrier101.

In the present disclosure, a method of singulating several dies from acarrier is also disclosed. In some embodiments, the dies are singulatedfrom the carrier by a method 500. The description and illustration arenot deemed as a limitation as the sequence of the operations.

FIG. 7 is an embodiment of a method 500 of singulating several dies froma carrier. The method 500 includes several operations (501, 502, 503,504, 505, 506).

In operation 501, a carrier is provided. In operation 502, severalscribing lines are formed on the carrier. As in FIG. 7A, severalscribing lines 103 are formed on a surface 101 a of the carrier 101. Insome embodiments, the scribing lines 103 are formed in a staggeredconfiguration with reference to FIG. 1A or FIG. 1B. The scribing lines103 include several continuous lines 103-1 along X axis and severaldiscontinuous lines 103-2 along a Y axis. In some embodiments, the Xaxis is orthogonal to the Y axis, and thus the continuous lines 103-1are also orthogonal to the discontinuous lines 103-2.

In operation 503, several dies are disposed on the surface of thecarrier between the scribing lines including the continuous lines alongthe X axis and the discontinuous lines along the Y axis. In someembodiments as in FIG. 7A, the dies 102 are disposed between thescribing lines 103. Each die 102 is surrounded by at least four portionsof the scribing lines 103. The dies 102 are disposed in the staggeredconfiguration according to the scribing lines 103.

In operation 504, the carrier 101 is cut according to several continuouslines along the X axis. As in FIG. 7B, the continuous lines 103-1 of thescribing lines 103 are cut along the X axis by a cutting member 407. Thecutting member 407 is continuously passed over the surface 101 a of thecarrier 101 to cut the carrier 101 following the continuous lines 103-1from one side of the carrier 101 to another opposite side of the carrier101.

In some embodiments, the cutting member 407 includes a laser beam forcutting the carrier 101. In some embodiments, the laser beam cuts thecarrier 101 in a width of about 20 um. In some embodiments, the cuttingmember 407 is a pulsed Nd:YAG laser blade in a wavelength of 355 nm, 532nm or 1064 nm with a power of about 1 to about 100 Watt (W). In someembodiments, the cutting member 407 cuts the carrier 101 in a speed ofabout 50 mm/s to about 300 mm/s.

In operation 505, the carrier is rotated at about a right angle relativeto the X axis. As in FIG. 7C, the carrier 101 is rotated at a rightangle in either a clockwise or an anti-clockwise direction. In someembodiments, the carrier 101 is rotated at an angle of 270 degree.

In operation 506, the carrier is cut according to several discontinuouslines along a Y axis. As in FIG. 7D, the carrier 101 is cut by thecutting member 407 according to the discontinuous lines 103-2. In someembodiments, the cutting member 407 passes over the surface 101 a of thecarrier 101 from one side of the carrier 101 to another opposite side ofthe carrier 101 to cut the carrier 101 discontinuously by turning thecutting member 407 on and off alternatively.

In some embodiments, when the cutting member 407 passes through thesurface 101 a of the carrier 101 along the Y axis where thediscontinuous lines 103-2 of the scribing lines 103 are absent on thesurface 101 a of the carrier 101, the cutting member 407 turns off byturning on a shutter so that the carrier 101 would not be cut by thecutting member 407 temporarily.

In some embodiments, cutting of the carrier 101 is performed by a laserbeam. In some embodiments as in FIG. 8, the cutting member 407 includesa laser beam, and the laser beam passes over the surface 101 a of thecarrier 101 for cutting the carrier 101. The laser beam turns on byturning off the shutter when the cutting member 407 passes over thediscontinuous lines 103-2 of the scribing lines 103. The laser beamturns off by turning on the shutter when the cutting member 407 has notpassed over any discontinuous lines 103-2 of the scribing line 103. Thelaser beam turns on and off alternatively according to the present ofthe discontinuous lines 103-2 of the scribing lines 103 on the surface101 a of the carrier 101, such that the dies 102 are singulated out fromthe carrier 101 which is disposed with the dies 102 in the staggeredconfiguration or the non-matrix layout according to the scribing lines103.

In some embodiments, a semiconductor device includes a carrier, severaldies disposed on a surface of the carrier, several scribing linesdefined on the surface of the carrier. The scribing lines includeseveral continuous lines along a first direction and severaldiscontinuous lines along a second direction. In some embodiments, thefirst direction is orthogonal to the second direction. In someembodiments, each one of the dies is surrounded by at least two of thecontinuous lines and at least two of the discontinuous lines. In someembodiments, two respective portions of at least two of the continuouslines and two respective portions of at least two of the discontinuouslines are in cooperation to define a dimension of the dies. In someembodiments, at least two of the continuous lines and at least two ofthe discontinuous lines are in cooperation to arrange the dies in astaggered configuration. In some embodiments, the dies are arranged inseveral rows parallel to the first direction. In some embodiments, thedies are arranged in several columns parallel to the first direction. Insome embodiments, a width of the scribing lines is about 20 um to about60 um. In some embodiments, each one of the dies is in a quadrilateralshape.

In some embodiments, a semiconductor device includes a carrier andseveral dies disposed on a surface of the carrier. The dies aresurrounded by an edge of the carrier, the dies include several edge diesadjacent to a periphery of the carrier, each one of the edge diesincludes a longest length and a corner nearest to the edge of thecarrier, a shortest distance between the edge of the carrier and thecorner of the one of the edge dies is parallel to the longest length andis substantially equal to or smaller than a half of the longest lengthof each one of the edge dies. In some embodiments, the dies aresymmetrically arranged on the carrier about a central axis of thecarrier. In some embodiments, the carrier is in a circular shape. Insome embodiments, the dies are aligned in several rows along a firstdirection.

In some embodiments, a method of dies singulation includes providing acarrier, disposing several dies on a surface of the carrier according toseveral scribing lines including several continuous lines along a firstdirection and several discontinuous lines along a second direction,cutting the carrier according to the continuous lines along the firstdirection, and cutting the carrier according to the discontinuous linesalong the second direction. In some embodiments, the method furtherincludes rotating the carrier at about a right angle relative to thefirst direction before cutting the carrier according to thediscontinuous lines along the second direction. In some embodiments, thecutting of the carrier is performed by a laser beam. In someembodiments, the cutting of the carrier is performed by a laser beamfurther includes turning the laser beam on and off alternatively duringcutting the carrier according to the discontinuous lines along thesecond direction. In some embodiments, the cutting of the carrier isperformed by a laser beam further includes turning the laser beam off byturning on a shutter when the laser beam passes through the surface ofthe carrier where the discontinuous lines of the scribing lines areabsent on the surface of the carrier. In some embodiments, the methodfurther includes determining if a size of each of the dies is greaterthan a threshold value. In some embodiments, the method further includesdetermining if a length of each of the dies is greater than a firstthreshold value and a width of each of the dies is greater than a secondthreshold value.

The methods and features of this invention have been sufficientlydescribed in the above examples and descriptions. It should beunderstood that any modifications or changes without departing from thespirit of the invention are intended to be covered in the protectionscope of the invention.

Moreover, the scope of the present application in not intended to belimited to the particular embodiments of the process, machine,manufacture, and composition of matter, means, methods and stepsdescribed in the specification. As those skilled in the art will readilyappreciate from the disclosure of the present disclosure, processes,machines, manufacture, composition of matter, means, methods or stepspresently existing or later to be developed, that perform substantiallythe same function or achieve substantially the same result as thecorresponding embodiments described herein may be utilized according tothe present disclosure.

Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to include within theirscope such as processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter,means, methods or steps. In addition, each claim constitutes a separateembodiment, and the combination of various claims and embodiments arewithin the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A semiconductor device, comprising: a carrier; aplurality of dies disposed on a surface of the carrier; a plurality ofscribing lines defined on the surface of the carrier; wherein theplurality of scribing lines include a plurality of continuous linesalong a first direction and a plurality of discontinuous lines along asecond direction, and a shortest distance between an edge of the carrierand one of the plurality of discontinuous lines disposed adjacent to theedge of the carrier is substantially equal to or smaller than a half ofa length of one of the plurality of dies along the second direction. 2.The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the first direction isorthogonal to the second direction.
 3. The semiconductor device of claim1, wherein each one of the plurality of dies is surrounded by at leasttwo of the plurality of continuous lines and at least two of theplurality of discontinuous lines.
 4. The semiconductor device of claim1, wherein two respective portions of at least two of the plurality ofcontinuous lines and two respective portions of at least two of theplurality of discontinuous lines are in cooperation to define adimension of each one of the plurality of dies.
 5. The semiconductordevice of claim 1, wherein at least two of the plurality of continuouslines and at least two of the plurality of discontinuous lines are incooperation to arrange the plurality of dies in a staggeredconfiguration.
 6. The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein theplurality of dies are arranged in a plurality of rows parallel to thefirst direction.
 7. The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein theplurality of dies are arranged in a plurality of columns parallel to thefirst direction.
 8. The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein a widthof the plurality of scribing lines is about 20 um to about 60 um.
 9. Thesemiconductor device of claim 1, wherein each one of the plurality ofdies is in a quadrilateral shape.
 10. The semiconductor device of claim1, wherein one of the plurality of dies is surrounded by two respectiveportions of two of the plurality of continuous lines, and the tworespective portions are in same dimension.
 11. The semiconductor deviceof claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of dies is surrounded by tworespective portions of two of the plurality of discontinuous lines, thetwo respective portions are in same dimension.
 12. The semiconductordevice of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of continuous lines iscontinuously extended across the carrier from one end of the carrier toanother opposite end of the carrier along the first direction.
 13. Thesemiconductor device of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality ofdiscontinuous lines is a broken straight line extending from one end ofthe carrier to another opposite end of the carrier along the seconddirection.
 14. The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein theplurality of continuous lines are spaced from each other in a samedistance.
 15. A semiconductor device, comprising: a carrier; a pluralityof dies disposed on the carrier; wherein the plurality of dies aresurrounded by an edge of the carrier, the plurality of dies include aplurality of edge dies adjacent to the edge of the carrier, each one ofthe plurality of edge dies includes a longest length and a cornernearest to the edge of the carrier, a shortest distance between the edgeof the carrier and the corner of the one of the plurality of edge diesis parallel to the longest length and is substantially equal to orsmaller than a half of the longest length of each one of the pluralityof edge dies.
 16. The semiconductor device of claim 15, wherein theplurality of dies are symmetrically arranged on the carrier about acentral axis of the carrier.
 17. The semiconductor device of claim 15,wherein the carrier is in a circular shape.
 18. The semiconductor deviceof claim 15, wherein the plurality of dies are aligned in a plurality ofrows along a first direction.
 19. The semiconductor device of claim 18,wherein the plurality of edge dies are disposed at ends of the pluralityof rows.
 20. The semiconductor device of claim 15, wherein the pluralityof edge dies surround the rest of the plurality of dies.